The Cloth Diaper Whisperer: 2009-05-31

Welcome to this week's giveaway!

This week we will have TWO WINNERS!!!!! Each one will win:
1-Knickernappies one size diaper
1-Super Do Hemp Terry Insert
1-Fluff Dust Shaker Bottle

What to do? Simply leave a comment telling us one thing that you have learned from our blog. Don’t forget to leave a way for us to contact you if you're the winner. You don’t need to have a blog to win, but be sure to leave your email address if you don’t have one.

When? You should leave your comment before Thursday, June 11th at 8pm EDT.
What else to know? You can make ONE comment PER DAY. If you want to get more comments there are several ways to do it:

1 - Being or becoming one of our followers gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a follower.
2 - Being a subscriber of our blog or subscribing to our blog, gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a follower.
3 - Commenting in other posts during the week will give you ONE EXTRA comment PER EACH comment that you make. Simply post a comment on this one saying the title of the post where you wrote your comment. So, what are you waiting for?? Participating in other posts pays off!!!
4 - Advertising the giveaway in a forum or other blog gives you ONE extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are a advertising and where.
5 - Using our button on your blog (or starting to) gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you are using it and where.
6 - Being a fan of our Facebook group gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you our fan.
7 - Being a follower on Twitter gives you one extra comment PER GIVEAWAY, NOT PER DAY. Simply post a comment saying that you our follower and your Twitter ID.
8 - NEW! Receive 1 entry per day for voting for our blog on the Blog Luxe: Blogs I've Learned the Most From. Vote once per day to receive another entry.
Have questions?? Visit our FAQ's.

How? We will draw one winner randomly with an "Online Number Generator" and will make a post with the winner on Friday, June 12th. It is the responsibility of the winner to contact us to claim their prize.

Who can participate? US Residents and Canadians* are welcome!

Important note about the winner: If we haven't heard from the winner by the closing time of next week's giveaway, we will choose another winner that will be published TOGETHER with next week's winner. We promise to do our best to get in contact with the winners. *Canadian winners will be responsable for shipping costs.

Good luck, and don’t forget to tell all your family and friends about the giveaway! In case that you don't win, what a better person to win than a friend of yours!!

Fluff Friday 32 - TWO Winners! * CLOSED *

Read the full story here...

Free shipping on orders $25 or more at any of our sister stores (One Size Diaper Store, Fuzzi Bunz Online, Bulk Cloth Diaper)....Use Discount code OTHER.

Sorry, no previous or pending orders discounted.
Limit 1 coupon code per order.
Valid June 6th and 7th Only.

Weekend Super Saver Coupon - June 6th & 7th

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The Presidential elections have come and gone but we're still encouraging you to vote; for our blog that is!

Thanks to the continuous support and dedication from our wonderful followers, we've been nominated for the BlogLuxe '09 Award: Blog You've Learned the Most From!

However, we've only been nominated so we need your votes to WIN!

If you've learned something new or truly benefit from the wealth of information we strive to

bring please cast your vote for us!

You can vote clicking on the image once PER DAY! Voting ends July 6th, 2009 - so schedule a reminder to vote for us everyday!

Thank you!
The Cloth Diaper Whisperer Team

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Cast your Vote!

Read the full story here...

This week our Fluff Friday winner is the mom of an adorable little boy... Follow her on her blog here. She is:

And our winner of 2-fuzzi bunz one size diapers from Twitter is:

You can follow her on her blog here.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

Please, contact us ASAP so we can ship your winnings right away!!!

Fluff Friday 31 and Twitter WINNERS!

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Many of you know by now that I help answer all your cloth diapering questions over at Kelly’s Closet and the other DiaperShops.com stores. I’m thankful for this incredible opportunity to help others in their cloth diapering success. I’m especially thankful for the ability to truly mix work with pleasure!

However, I suddenly found myself trying to balance all my responsibilities simultaneously. There were times when I was so completely absorbed in what I as doing that I realized after a marathon nursing session with Ilyas in my lap nursing while I answered emails and calls that he desperately needed a diaper change! Thankfully we use all absorbing cloth! And of course there were the few hours here and there where the diapers sat in the machine waiting to be run through another cycle or simply taken outside to dry on the line.

I slowly began to discover ways to figure out my cloth diapering routine while still working from home! So here’s what I do…

Wake up early!

I know In order to maximize my time I wake up super duper early (around 4 or 5 am) most days to get as much done as possible before my three little monsters wake up. I also take advantage of the evenings when the little ones are in bed to wrap up miscellaneous projects.

Wash my cloth diaper laundry (and all other laundry for that matter) at night.

In the evening I toss the diapers in the machine for the cold wash. If I get them in right on time, then oftentimes I’m able to start the hot water wash just before bed and wake up to start the additional rinse.

Since I opt to wash the inserts/prefolds first this also allows me to get those out on the line early in the morning for some prolonged sunshine! Then I start washing the pocket diapers and I’m able to get those on the line by lunch/nap time for the remainder of the sunshine hours.

In the evening I recruit my “cloth diaper girls” as they lovingly refer to themselves to help sort the diapers, inserts, prefolds, etc… into piles. A great learning opportunity as they learn how to group according to color, size, shape, etc… Then I do all the stuffing as they gather the baskets so I can organize the stuffed diapers and put them away.

Take advantage of long phone calls.

Oftentimes I’ll have a customer call that lasts longer than usual, so I’ll take that opportunity change the baby (or give the girls a snack, fold laundry or pick up toys, etc…).

I also get very specific questions about certain brands of diapers or types so I will pull them all out and have them in front of me as I answer questions (another incentive for me to try a little of everything as I expand my experience and expertise). If I’m helping troubleshoot problems with the fit of a diaper then I’ll even change Ilyas into that diaper to have a more “hands-on” idea of what might be going on with the customer.

With my changing table only a mere feet from my “office” diaper changes are quick and convenient!

TIME-OUT!

Lastly, if there’s one thing I learned very quickly is to take a regular time out. When you’re a working at home mama, your kids really do need some time and attention and regular breaks, however brief, does wonders for increasing productivity!

Every hour I try to take 5 minutes to read a book with the kids… in the late afternoon I take a complete hour to myself when all the kids are down for a nap – I typically window shop online or catch a little online video or work on a sewing project that I’ve been anxiously waiting to finish.

Here’s a cute picture I had to take of the girls when they told me they were “at work in their office” (which is their homeschooling computer). A funny reminder that I probably spend far too much time on the computer, eh?

Working from home isn’t “easy” by any means as it’s still work! However, with a bit of organization it’s easy to be more efficient. I truly admire Kelly for everything she does to be able to bring us all such a comprehensive online cloth diapering store and community here on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer!

Mix Work with Pleasure!

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Soiled diapers: How do you store your diapers? Diaper Pail? Hanging Pail? Wet bag? What do you do use for on-the-go storage? Any tips/tricks for eliminating diaper pail and/or wet bag odors?

I wash diapers every 2-3 days, depending on how many she goes through. I wash when I am down to 2-4 diapers, so I have enough diapers to get me through washing. To store my diapers I use and trash bin with the foot lever lid, The 42L/13Gal size.

It fits the pail liners in it perfectly, I use either a Planet Wise Pail Liner or the XL Bummis one. I have two liners that I rotate with diaper washes. After I am done changing the diaper

I pull the insert out of the pocket and place it on top of the inside of the diaper, fold in half and place in the bin. Now this works great if the diaper is not pooped. In that case I through the wipes and the insert in the bin and take the diaper to get the poop off, it then goes into the bin with the rest of them. I try not to get the diaper super wet and keep it folded in half to keep most of the water inside the diaper. I pull the inserts out right away because I am washing my hands any way and it makes throwing them in the wash way easier.

For odor control I sprinkle a little baking soda in the bottom of the trash bin before I put the liner back in. I do this about once a month or so. Every 2 or 3 months I also take the bin and rinse it out with water and soap and let it sit in the sun for a few hours.

When I am out I have a medium planet wise that I keep either in my purse or diaper bag, depending on how long we plan on being gone. For two of my other children I used a gallon Ziploc bag, it worked and did its job, but the wet bag is easier to wash out and holds up better.

- By Angela S.

Storing soiled diapers

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While I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter Elenore, a few people would ask me if I was planning on using cloth diapers or disposable diapers. Having grown up only exposed to disposable diapers I would quickly rattle off my reasons why I would only ever use disposables. My main argument was that I didn’t have a washer and dryer. The truth was, I knew nothing about them!

I remember the day that I was first introduced to BumGenius. Elenore was 6 months old and I had found a You Tube video that explained exactly how they worked. I was amazed that they were no longer my grandmother’s diapers. From that moment I was hooked! The moment my poor husband came home he was bombarded with information that he really had no desire to ever know. It took me about 48 hours of obsessing before he finally relented and told me that I could have 50 dollars to spend on starting my self a stash. For any of you who know anything about pocket diapers you know that 50 dollars doesn’t get you very far. But like I said before, I was clueless.

I strapped Elenore in the peanut shell and walked the few blocks to my local Eco-Friendly baby store.

Because of my budget I ended up walking away with two dozen prefold diapers at 22.00 a dozen, one Snappi, one Wonder Wraps diaper cover, and a wealth full of information. The clerk tried to convince me that I would need more then one cover but I had a budget! (Little did I know that I would come crawling back to the store only the next morning to buy another Wonder Wraps and a Bummis cover after my darling one decided to have a blow out).

My total expenses to date on diapering are around 85 dollars as opposed to my budgeted 50 dollars a month. We would have spent over 350 dollars in the past 6 months we have been cloth diapering.

Cloth diapering has changed the way I think all together. Where as I would have previously distinguished things like cloth nursing pads and mama rags as “yucky” I now see them as tools to enhance the things I encounter every day! I have no idea how I used disposable nursing pads for so long those things are so scratchy! Using cloth diapers has also opened me up to a whole new group of wonderful mommies I never would have met.

It is amazing how when you step out of your comfort zone you can be opened up to a world of opportunities and friendship.

My advice to anyone thinking about using cloth diapers is to not be afraid! There are so many wonderful moms and dads (!) out there who would just love to answer any questions you might have. Making the change is possible and well worth it!

Time for a change!

Read the full story here...

* Brief intro about AppleCheeks and the inventors.

The moms behind AppleCheeks™, Amy and Ilana, have five kids between them (three boys for Amy and two girls for

Ilana) and have cloth diapered them all. Cloth diapers have gone through a major evolution in the last six years and it's been truly wonderful to be a witness. But for Ilana and Amy, who have been selling cloth diapers from their retail store for the last four years, being witnesses just wasn't enough. After counselling hundreds of parents on the choices available and offering a fantastic level of support for the choices their customers had made, these two forward thinking mompreneurs decided that what would really benefit their customers was a line of Canadian-made reusable diapers that offered as much freedom and flexibility in one system as possible, accompanied by the highest end customer service

possible. And so, AppleCheeks™ were born!

* Short description of your products, when they were invented, the materials they're made of, etc...

The AppleCheeks™ line of reusable diapers is a hybrid system consisting of

2-size, fantastically soft and amazingly well-fitting microfleece-lined PUL cover, a one-size insert in your choice of either hemp or bamboo blends, and a variety of accessories that compliment the base system and make it truly customizable to the needs of the individual baby. The covers come in ten gorgeous colours and fit a wide range of babies, from birth to toilet training.

* Why choose AppleCheeks?

AppleCheeks™ have been getting rave reviews since they hit the market in early 2008. The system is not only extremely easy to use, but it is of the highest quality as it's designed and

manufactured right in Montreal, Canada, the home of the company. They are one of the most flexible systems on the market in terms of not only how they can be used (as a cover with an insert or a pocket-style diaper), but they fit a very wide range of babies while at the same time catering to the functional and esthetic needs of the parent! And unlike other pocket diapers on the market, the inserts actually fall out in the wash, which means no unstuffing of a dirty diaper!

Product Focus: AppleCheeks

Read the full story here...

“You’re going to wash them YOURSELF??”

“Just wait until your kid has diarrhea.”
“But you’ll have a diaper service, right?”
“Don’t babies get way more diaper rash that way?”
“That’s great, but I’m way too busy to do all that extra work!”

Throughout my first pregnancy, as my research on cloth diapers turned into serious thought and serious thought became reality – I heard it all. Some folks were supportive, lots thought I was insane, and most were at least a little bit skeptical. But I am nothing if not stubborn, and no one was going to tell me that this decision was one I couldn’t handle – or one that would hurt my baby in any way.

Many women will agree that a strange sort of mental metamorphosis can occur while you contemplate becoming a mama for the first time. Amid all the prenatal daydreams of soft blankies and powdery smells, our minds wake up to the notion that we are being charged with caring for a brand new little person. A whole (albeit tiny) person who is unable to meet any of his/her own needs will be placed in our care. And once the pregnant-mama brain starts processing what that really might mean – suddenly some things that never seemed quite so important before loom large on the radar screen.

I went from being someone who never recycled because it was inconvenient to the person in the house who drives everyone a little nuts making sure that nothing is thrown away that shouldn’t be.

I was someone who had no strong views on childbirth & pain medication… by halfway through my pregnancy I was convinced I wanted to have a completely natural birth, and I set about gathering as much information as I possibly could.

I knew I wanted to breastfeed exclusively and make my own baby food. And somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to wrap my new baby’s bum in cottony cloth diapers.

I did research, I scoured cloth diaper websites, I read blogs of cloth-diapering mamas, I crunched numbers, and I did more research. I came up with a cloth diapering program that would include one-size diapers (I bought a bunch of BG 2.0s when they went on sale right before the BG 3.0 was introduced) and prefolds, snappis & Thirsties covers. My baby’s room was stocked with freshly laundered diapers, just waiting for the arrival of our much-anticipated little one.

I was a little dismayed when it took me nearly six weeks to get the hang of cloth diapering full-time. Our little lady was long and skinny , and the one size diapers were HUGE on her, and the prefold/cover combination was simply too bulky to fit under any clothes. And in February and March in Michigan – clothing is not optional. But once I got the hang of things, and my skinny mini plumped up a bit – I quickly realized that I *love* cloth diapers. Folding and stuffing can be relaxing, and the sweet piles of cute diapers warms my heart right up.

My baby girl turned one 2 months ago – and we still love our fluffy cloth diapers. Our stash has expanded to include Happy Heiny’s, Fuzzi Bunz, MonkeyDoodlez, Thirsties Fitted and some one-size BG 3.0s. And since I’m due with Baby #2 in August, I’ve been motivated to start hunting down some options that will enable me to cloth diaper from day one.

And so, to all those who thought I was just another crazy pregnant lady…

- Yup, I wash them myself. It’s only a couple more loads each week, and it’s not hard.

- No, diarrhea doesn’t make cloth diapering any worse (messy poop is messy poop – no matter what kind of diaper it’s in – and my cloth diapers do a much better job at containing messes than ‘sposies ever did!)
- No, I don’t have a diaper service.
- Nah - my daughter hardly EVER gets diaper rash – and it clears up fastest when her skin can breathe in a cloth diaper.
- I’m busy too, but honestly – it doesn’t feel like extra work to me. For lots of reasons (environmental, financial, health & more) I believe in cloth diapering. It’s important to me, and I’m happy to do it for my kid(s).

-- By Katie B.

And They All Thought I Was Crazy

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